What about a reviewer do you want to know?

[Odhanan]

2) Detailed Info - I you state that you play regularly play XXXXXXXXXX game but don't mention YYYYYYYYYYY then publishers may criticize a review saying that it is invalid because your obviously not part or their target audience and wouldn't understand. This is just an extension of the "The Reviewer didn't get it" complaint.

I agree, but that doesn't mean the argument can't ever be valid. I can think of many cases in which critics just didn't get it because they aren't the primary audience of this or that movie, game, novel. This will help people understand the reviewer, and normally, if the reviewer's that good, one will not be able to determine too easily what the profile contains by reading the reviews. Same thing about good journalism, in my opinion.

 

[The Shaman]

Nothing, thanks. It's pretty easy to tell if a reviewer has her/his head in a warm, dark orifice or not based on the content of the review itself.

A bio would just add blathering self-promotion, and there's more than enough "Look at me! Look at me!" on this site already.

 

[Pinotage]

for a guy who counts his every penny spent on rpgs. i want to know that some reviewers do take that into account. i'm gonna do a review b/c i feel that people like me who spent or who are considering spending tight pennies on something want to know i know where they are coming from.

But the guy who counts pennies is going to check for multiple reviews, look at the product demos, or even page through the book on the shelf. If you can't afford to make a mistake there are plenty of other avenues open to you to help a potential buyer make a choice. Reviews is only one of them, and while a lot of people base their purchase choices on that, they don't necessarily have to - use the boards to ask, check demos, etc.

Pinotage

 

[freebfrost]

For me to trust a review, I need to have a certain level of confidence that the reviewer has a strong knowledge base on which to judge the product, has a professional manner and demeanor, and is not biased for or against any particular product.

So, that translates to knowing what systems they have used, how long they've been using those systems, and how long they've been gaming.

Professionalism demands that their writing style not be full of spelling or grammar errors, as well as their being able to piece together coherent sentences and paragraphs.

Hardest of all is knowing their biases - a list of favored systems and styles is helpful, but that's a tough one to cover in just a short bio or list. Rather, that is something that is more easily understood in the body of their reviews and that can only be seen over time.

 

[Crothian]

For me to trust a review, I need to have a certain level of confidence that the reviewer has a strong knowledge base on which to judge the product, has a professional manner and demeanor, and is not biased for or against any particular product.

So, that translates to knowing what systems they have used, how long they've been using those systems, and how long they've been gaming.

This is nice in theory, but it can also get me in trouble. I like white wolf and their games, and while I have a good collection of their books I just rarely get to play and run them. That's becasue the people I game with don't want to. So, an in ideal world I might be running my Changeling or Wraith game, but because I have to run games that other people want to play it is usaually D&D.

So, in saying that I get the D&D people mad at me because they feel I've insulted there game since I have to settle with a D&D game or something like that. But If I just say that I play D&D then the white wolf people don't know how much I throughly enjoy reading and trying to use thier books.

Then there is the time factor. I can rattle of a dozen or maore games I'd love to be playing or running. But In reality I got time for only a few or one depending on how things are going.

I'm not saying any of this is a bad idea as I brought this discussion to the people; I just want to promote a discussion and see what people have to say. I'd also love to hear a publishers view on all this.

 

[freebfrost]

This is nice in theory, but it can also get me in trouble.

Trouble with whom?


Your reviews are based on your perceptions, knowledge, and understanding. If you are so worried about how other people think of your background, then how can you even stand to write a review - reviewers need to have a thick skin, because someone will always disagree with their point of view.

Your saying that you are worried about including that in a bio because people would be "mad" at you is exactly what would make me question your neutrality and unbiasedness as a reviewer.

Then there is the time factor. I can rattle of a dozen or maore games I'd love to be playing or running. But In reality I got time for only a few or one depending on how things are going.

Thus my requirement to know what your *experience* includes and not just a list of all the games you own. As you state, you only have time for a few, and I'd want to know what those few are. You already are self-filtering that list by your statements above, which is what I'd expect from any reviewer.

 

[Roudi]

What do I want to know about a reviewer?

Nothing. It's the review I'm interested in.

I don't know about other people, but if a reviewer seems bias or the review doesn't seem genuine, it tends to stand out in the text for me. I'm never particularly interested in who is doing the review, though there are some reviewers whose opinion I value more than others (i.e., Psion).

 

[Arnwyn]

I would find that knowing the reviewer's gaming preferences and dislikes (both games and style) to be helpful in determining whether a review/reviewer has any value to me.

(For example, a recent reviewer mentioned that he [paraphrasing] "doesn't care about the FR stuff" in an FR product review - that sort of thing helps me determine whether I should lend any credence to future reviews by the reviewer.)

 

[Teflon Billy]

1) Favorite color

Bottle green

2) Favorite food

Sushi

3) Favoite author

Lois McMaster Bujold/ David Gemmel/ George R. R. Martin (3-way tie for first place)

Favorite quote

"...and we built as men must always build: With a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other..." T.S. Eliot

5) Left-handed or Right-handed?

Right, but shoot left in Hockey.

6) Criminal record, if any

A few misdemeanors from my misspent youth

That should do it for me.

I live to serve, Sahib

 

[Mouseferatu]

I want to know what the reviewer's critera for giving 5 stars (or whatever the top mark might be) are. I hate it when people have nothing but positive comments for a book, but still refuse to give it a top mark because it doesn't match some Platonic ideal.

Then again, I'd rather reviews for RPG products drop the "star" system entirely, or at the very least bury it within the text, so people have to read the whole review. Just glancing at stars can be very misleadin g.